My Brother, My Child
by April Dragon
Summary: When the transmutation ends with Alphonse with the body and mind of a three year old child, will Ed be able to handle the responsibility of older brother, and ultimately, father figure? The story behind Innocent Question. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, here's the first chapter to the story that the sidestory Innocent Question branches off from. Please review! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA orany of its characters.**

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**My Brother, My Child**

It was finally happening. After five years of waiting, searching, almost dying on more than one occasion, their goal was finally in reach. Seventeen-year-old Edward Elric gazed at the small red stone in his hand. The Philosopher's Stone. Not a cheap imitation, but the _real_ thing. After all, Ed had witnessed Scar creating it himself, so he had no doubts. What was even better was that the homunculi were taken care of. Greed, Sloth, and Lust were dead; Gluttony and Dante had disappeared without a trace; Wrath was most likely wandering around Dublith (Izumi said that she had caught glimpses of him in various places, mostly around her house); Envy was taken to the other side of the gate (which Ed had absolutely _no _problem with); and King Bradley had been destroyed and exposed by the new Fuhrer, Roy Mustang ("What do you mean that _jerk's_ the new Fuhrer!" "Calm down, brother. It's not _that _bad!"). Unfortunately, due to the commotion going on, Ed and Al had to wait until things quieted down to do the transmutation, which happened to be a full year. Now was their chance. No more distractions.

Edward drew the transmutation circle with obsessive care, down to the very last, miniscule detail. Everything had to be exact, precise, better than perfect. He was _sure_ that nothing could go wrong now.

"Okay Al, everything's ready. All we need to do is trigger the transmutation and then you'll have your body back."

"Great! And when that's done, I can get your limbs back, too!"

"Yeah . . ."

The truth was, the stones power would probably be used up during this one transmutation. Ed was very well aware of this, and had no intention of letting Al know.

"Go stand in the middle of the array, Al. It won't work unless you do."

"Right. Brother, what if . . . this doesn't work? What if something goes wrong?"

Ed gave his trademark, cocky grin. "What are you talking about, Al? We have the stone, and I drew this array so well it makes perfection look sloppy. Nothing can go wrong, so stop worrying."

"I guess, if you're sure . . ."

"Of course I'm sure!"

"Okay. I trust in you, brother."

"Heh, you better."

Edward and Alphonse stood silent for a brief moment before Ed dropped to his knees. He looked at the stone in his hand.

_Alright. We've done way too much and went through too much trouble to get this far, so this _damn _well better work._

Ed looked back to where Al was standing. Al gave a quick nod, and Ed nodded back. They were ready. Taking a final deep breath, Ed clapped his hands and pressed them against the circle, his flesh palm pressing against the stone. In a millisecond, light and energy erupted around them, Ed's mind moving just as fast.

_Finally, after all these years, finally . . ._

Just as quickly as the transmutation started, the light turned a dark, nasty violet color. The same color as their mother's transmutation. Something was terribly wrong.

_No! No, no, no, no, this can't be happening! How could this be happening? Everything was so perfect, what could've been wrong?_

Ed fought desperately against the transmutation's force, knowing that if he lost, it would all be over.

_It's not enough. But, I have the stone . . . How could it not be enough? If I try to transmute the whole body, I'll fail, but I have to do something or I'll lose him. How can I . . . What should I . . ._

"ALPHONSE!"

There was a blinding flash of light, then darkness. Edward awoke a few minutes later, dizzy and weak. Managing to push his torso up, he tried to look around, but his vision was so blurry he could barely make out his own hands. He tried several times to speak, his voice strained when it finally came out.

"Al . . . Alphonse . . ."

Ed could hardly hear the soft sound of whimpering coming from some place in front of him, but he heard enough to know it was Al. Slowly, he began dragging himself towards the sound, sometimes dragging his legs, sometimes pushing off with them.

_I'm coming, Al. It's going to be okay. I'm coming._

When Ed finally reached the source of the sound, his vision had cleared.

What he found almost made him faint.

By the time Fuhrer Mustang made it to the scene, the area was already packed with soldiers, officers, scientists, civilians, etc. The site made him frown even before his car stopped.

"Sir?"

Roy looked over to his secretary, Riza Hawkeye, or rather, Riza Mustang (though most people, even Roy, insisted on still calling her Hawkeye).

"I want you to remain in the car, Hawkeye. I won't be long."

Riza gave him a stern look and nodded. The rest of the crowd turned and began to murmur as Roy climbed out of the car, though it seemed none of them had the sense to move. That is, until Havoc, who had driven the car, started yelling.

"HEY! ALL OF YOU! STEP ASIDE AND LET THE FUHRER PASS!"

"That'll do it, Havoc. Please get back in the car."

Roy began to shoulder his way through the crowd, which was still dense, and made his way inside the abandoned building. It was dimly lit, and still ridiculously packed, except for a clearing in the corner of the wall. Even before Roy made his way there, he could recognize Edward's voice. He was screaming a slur of different words, mainly obscenities, at anyone who came near him. When Roy saw him for the first time, his heart sank. He was curled up on his side on the floor, his knees pulled up almost to his chest, and his head was against his knees. He wasn't wearing his red jacket, but it did look like he was holding it. Roy knelt down beside him, speaking softly.

"Edward . . ."

"It wasn't enough. I thought it was, but it wasn't. I tried, I tried, but I messed up. I'm sorry, Al, I'm so sorry."

_The transmutation must have failed. But, shouldn't there _at least _be a body somewhere? There has to be something to show that there was a transmutation._

"Edward, I can't help if I don't know what happen. Please . . ."

Roy reached out and touched Ed's shoulder. Big mistake.

"YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, YOU BASTARD! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

:CRACK:

Ed curled up into a tight ball again, a large red mark on his cheek.

"I've lost my patience with your attitude, Ed, especially in a situation like this. I don't give a _damn _about what you want right now, because I'm going to help you whether you like it or not, because I _care._"

Ed slowly turned his head to look at him, his eyes blank. He sluggishly rolled himself onto his knees, then stood up. He was holding his red jacket protectively against his chest.

"What is that? What are you holding, Ed?"

Ed looked blankly at him again, then, cradling the bundle in his automail arm, opened the folds of the jacket near his shoulder. Roy looked closer. His heart almost stopped. He saw a mess of bronze hair, a face pressed against Ed's chest, and a tiny hand clutching a fistful of Ed's shirt. Alphonse Elric was now a three-year-old child.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Yay, Chapter 2! Be prepared for some paternal!Roy/Ed heart to heart. -**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of its characters.**

**Chapter Two**

All was quiet at the Fuhrer's mansion. Outside, numerous guards stood outside the building, keeping back the silent crowd of people (mainly scientists) that had followed Roy's car. Inside, it was dark, save the main room.

Edward sat on a large sofa in a huddled position, with both Roy's military jacket and a blanket draped over his shoulders. Both Roy and a doctor stood patiently in front of him, waiting for him to calm down and show them Alphonse. In fact, they had been waiting for the past hour, and not knowing what kind of condition Al was in, they both knew they couldn't wait anymore.

"Mr. Elric, please. I only want to help you and the child. There could be something seriously wrong with him, and we can't do anything until you let me examine him."

Edward gave no response. Roy wasn't as patient as the doctor was.

"Fullmetal, I know you're upset right now, but you _can't_ keep playing this game. We need to know if Al is okay, _now._"

"He'll take him away. He'll take him from me . . ."

"No he won't, Ed. He's a regular doctor, not a scientist. He only wants to examine Al to make sure there's nothing wrong with him. Do you honestly believe I'd just let him walk out with him? You know me better than that, Edward."

No response. Roy was done reasoning.

"_Edward, _if you continue to refuse to cooperate, I _will _separate you from Alphonse until you come to your senses. Either way, Al is going to get the help he needs."

_That_ had gotten Ed's full attention. He snapped his head up and looked straight into Mustang's eyes. Instead of the rage Roy had expected to see, he saw pure terror. Shaking, Ed slowly slid his feet off the sofa to lower his legs, then he laid Al across his lap with the head resting on his arm. Hesitantly, the doctor reached out and opened more of the red jacket so he could get a better look at Al's body. Al began to shiver from the exposure, which made Ed panic.

"W-Why is he shaking?"

"Calm down, Mr. Elric. He's probably just cold. Now, could you please sit him upright?"

The doctor opened his medical kit and took out a stethoscope and a thermometer. Opening Al's mouth, he slipped the thermometer under his tongue.

"Could you please hold that in place, Mr. Elric? I need to listen to his heart and lungs."

For Edward, time seemed to still as the doctor examined Alphonse. He was half expecting something horrible, like he was missing something, or he was dying.

"Well, he has a regular heartbeat, so that's good. His breathing is normal, too. And," he pulled the thermometer out of Al's mouth, "his temperature is normal, so yes, he's just cold. Now, all I need to do is give him a few shots, then all he should need after that is some rest."

"Shots?"

"Yes. They'll help protect him from getting seriously ill, just until his immune system fully kicks in."

The final task only took a few minutes (with Ed wincing the whole time). When he finished, the doctor left with Roy's thanks, leaving Ed and Roy alone. They remained silent for a moment, before Roy started speaking, looking at Al.

"He stayed asleep the entire time."

Ed spoke in a strangely quiet voice.

"Yeah . . . The doctor said he'd need rest. I can't imagine how tired he must be."

"You two are lucky, Ed. This could've ended very badly. I hope you realize that."

"I know."

Roy studied Ed. For the first time, he noticed just how young and helpless he looked.

"Mustang, did you mean . . . about separating us . . . would you have . . ."

"If I had to Ed, yes, I would have."

Ed flinched. Roy sighed, and began speaking softly, like a father.

"Please, Ed, try to understand. We don't know the extent of what's going on. And, as an adult, I had to do what I believed was best for Al; let's face it Ed, you weren't being much help, even if you were in a mild state of shock. Look at me, Edward."

Ed turned his head, looking at Roy with sorrowful eyes.

"You _need_ to understand what I'm saying. Normally, I'd trust your judgment when it comes to your brother. But understand, Edward, Al may very well have the _mind_ of a three-year-old child, as well as the body of one. If that's the case, then you have to be _more_ to him than just a brother, Ed."

"I'll have to be his father, too . . ."

"That's right. I'll always expect you to be _short_-tempered,"

Ed's eyebrow twitched,

"but you'll have to lose your immature, childish attitude. If you want to continue to take care of Alphonse, then you'll have to become an adult and accept the responsibility. If you can't do that Ed, then in the best interest of the child, I'll have to find someone else who _can_."

Roy could see the tears streaming down Ed's cheeks.

"I don't want to have to do that, Edward. I know that I really don't _have_ to. You're determined and stubborn, and you've always been able to overcome the challenges in your life. I know for a _fact _that you can do this, that you can raise Al and give him what he needs. I know this because I know how much you love him and care about him. I know that, ultimately, _you_ are the best thing for him."

Ed and Roy stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Finally, Ed looked back down at his sleeping brother.

"You know, it's funny. When I was a kid, I always hated my father for leaving. I swore up and down to myself that I would be a better a father than he ever was. But now . . ."

Ed's breathing began to skip,

" . . . I don't know what I'm going to do."

Roy watched as Ed broke down in front of him, burying his face against his little brother, crying like he did the night Nina died. Roy hoped he would never see this side of Ed again. The only thing he could do was squeeze Ed's shoulder and try to reassure him.

"You're not alone, Edward. You have friends, good friends, who are willing to help you. You're not going to have to face this alone. We're here for you."

"I know. It's just . . . so much . . . too much . . . how . . . what . . ."

"It's okay, Ed. Everything is going to be okay."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of its characters.**

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**Chapter 3**

_Edward stood in the middle of a white fog, looking around._

'_What is this place? Where am I?'_

_He began walking around, searching for some kind of answer. After what seemed like hours, he began moving faster, becoming more frantic. When that didn't help, he began yelling, now in full-blown panic._

'_IS ANYONE OUT THERE! WHERE AM I!'_

'_I'm here.'_

_Ed spun around, coming face to face with the owner of the voice. It was a sixteen-year-old Alphonse, with an almost dead look in his eyes._

'_Alphonse? How . . .'_

'_Why, brother?'_

'_Why? What are you . . . ?'_

'This _is my real body. _This_ is how I should look. Why did you change me?'_

'_I-I didn't mean . . . I thought that . . .'_

'_You _said _you were sure. You _said_ it was better than perfect. You _promised_ I would get my body back. Why did you do this to me, brother! I trusted you! I thought you loved me!'_

_Ed didn't even bother trying to hold back his tears._

'_Please, Al. I do love you. You mean more to me than anything else.'_

'_If I mean that much to you, then why did you insist on bringing Mom back?'_

_Ed nearly had a heart attack._

'_Why? . . .'_

'_Al, I'm so sorry, Al . . .'_

_Ed reached out to touch his brother, but when they came in contact, Al's body evaporated and faded away with the fog. Ed stood there, alone, staring into the darkness that had replaced the fog. Faintly, he could here another voice, this one whimpering and crying. He wandered around, trying to find its origin. In the distance, he saw a small child sitting alone, in a fetal position. As he approached, he quickly recognized the child. It was his now three-year-old brother. As Ed knelt down in front of him, Al looked up with bright, questioning bronze eyes. _

'_Hey . . .'_

'_Hi . . .'_

'_What's wrong? Why are you crying?'_

'_I'm scared. I'm alone.'_

'_I'm here.'_

'_Oh, okay. Are you my papa?'_

'_No, no I'm not.'_

'_Brother?'_

'_Yes, that's right.'_

'_Brother?'_

'_Yes, Al, I'm your brother.'_

'_Brother?'_

'_Alphonse? . . .'_

"Big Brother!"

Edward shot up, in a cold sweat. He was sitting in his bed, with the sun shining in his eyes.

_I was dreaming. It felt so real, though. Alphonse . . ._

It took a moment for Edward to realize that there was something small and warm snuggled against his side. He looked down and found his baby brother clinging to him, looking at him with the same shining bronze eyes that were in his dream. His cheeks were tear stained.

"Hey, hey Al, what's wrong Alphonse?"

"You're sad."

"No I'm not."

"Uh-huh, or else you wouldn't be crying."

"I was just having a nightmare. That's all it was, okay."

"Okay."

"Was there anything else?"

" . . . I thought you were dead."

"WHAT?"

"You wouldn't wake up."

"I'm a really heavy sleeper, Al. You know . . ."

Then it dawned on him.

"Alphonse, did you know what your name was?"

"No, but you keep calling me that, so that has to be my name."

"But you remembered that I'm your big brother?"

"Yeah."

"Is there anything else you remember?"

Al shook his head.

_That's weird. Why would he . . ._

"Where are we?"

"At a friend's house."

"Are they nice?"

"Well, the lady's really strict, but she's pretty nice. But the man can be a real . . . never mind. He's okay, too."

"Oh."

Ed looked around the room, and spotted the bed across from his. It was the bed he had tucked Al into the night before.

"Al, when did you crawl in my bed?"

"When it was still dark outside."

"Why?"

"I was scared."

"What? Why were you scared?"

"I just woke up and it was dark and I didn't know where I was. I saw you in this bed, so crawled in with you. You were really warm and I felt safe, and I wanted to sleep here, so I did."

Ed looked out the window as Al snuggled deeper against him. The sun glared at his face.

"I think I should get out of bed now. Are you still tired?"

Al shook his head.

"You're not? Are you hungry?"

A nod.

"Alright, let's get some breakfast. I'm starving."

Ed slid out of bed and stretched, then lifted Al and set him on the ground. After giving him a critical look, Ed made a crucial decision.

"Al, I need to find you some clothes. Can't very well let you run around Mustang's house naked."

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"Fullmetal, you decided to join the living today."

"Shove it."

"Edward."

"Sorry, Hawkeye."

Roy glanced at the child clinging to Ed like a lifeline. He knew how protective Ed was of Al, but he didn't believe he would take Al everywhere with him.

"Shouldn't you have kept him in bed? It seems a little too soon for him to be up and about."

"He's hungry, and he didn't want to go back to bed. I brought him here to get something to eat, and hopefully, find him some clothes."

Riza looked at Ed.

"We don't have any children's clothes here, Edward."

She looked at Al and smiled.

"However, I'm sure Roy won't mind taking the day off to watch Al while you go shop for some, unless he has something _important_ to do. In that case, _I'll _take the day off and watch him."

Roy shrugged.

"I don't have anything planned for the day. I guess I can stay here and baby-sit."

Unexpectedly, their conversation was cut off by a timid voice.

"Brother, I'm still hungry."

Riza smiled at Al again.

"It's okay. I'll make something for you and your brother."

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before, Hawkeye."

"Do you think I'm incapable of having a life outside of work, Edward?"

"N-No of course not, it's just . . ."

"Relax, Ed. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for small children."

She looked back at Al. He had his face pressed against Ed's shoulder, but she could tell that he was peeking at her with one eye.

"Are you okay, Al? Do you feel sick?"

Al shook his head.

"Are you just shy?"

She could see Al smile as he nodded, and chuckled. At that moment, a guard from outside entered the room.

"Fuhrer sir, a Professor Nigma is here to speak with you."

"_Damn it_. Not _this_ again. Ed, come with me."

"What's going on?"

"Professor Nigma is the head of the State's scientists. He's been calling all morning about . . . what happened."

Ed became nervous immediately, giving Roy a pleading look.

"You're not . . . You _wouldn't_ . . ."

"Edward, did you forget what we talked about last night? You know I wouldn't do something like that, so stop being paranoid."

Edward hung his head, staring at the ground.

"Sir, he's still waiting."

"Right, we're coming. Ed?"

"I know."

Ed sat Al down on a chair, pushing it in. Al looked up at him.

"Brother?"

"I have to go and talk to a man right now, okay? You stay here and listen to Riza."

"Okay."

"Hawkeye, I think he'll need a book to sit on."

"Don't worry, Ed. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks."

Ed and Roy made their way to the main living room, the same room they had been in the night before. Sitting on the sofa was a well-dressed man with dark eyes and small, square glasses. He was young, black-haired, and clean-shaven. The very picture of a highly intelligent man. He smiled as the other two seated themselves.

"Good morning, Fuhrer. I trust you've been having a good day."

"It would've been better without all the calls."

"Please forgive me. You have to understand how important this is to someone in my profession. It's important that I speak with you about this matter."

He looked over at Ed, who had his head hung in thought.

"You're Edward Elric, right? The Fullmetal Alchemist? That's quite a feet you pulled, that human transmutation. I'm sure it will be very interesting, examining and experimenting with the subject and all."

There was no way Ed was going to let that go.

"That 'subject' you're referring to is my baby brother! Do you think for one moment that -"

"That's enough, Edward!"

Ed looked at Mustang, who had a hard look on his face.

"Let me handle this. Mr. Nigma, I understand what you're saying, but the fact remains that this is still a three-year-old child we're talking about."

"I'm very well aware of that, Fuhrer. However, this child could tell us so much. He's completely irreplaceable in our studies. This is a _phenomenal _breakthrough in history and science! And let's not forget the alchemist that created him. He should undergo some studies, too. Surely you're not thinking of letting _him_ off easy?"

Roy smirked.

"Not exactly. As you said, this _is_ phenomenal. An alchemist with his skill would prove very valuable and indispensable to the military, and therefore should be in my higher ranks. Yes, he will prove very valuable to me. As for the child, it doesn't matter how he was brought into this world. All that matters is that he's alive and he's here. I _can_not and _will_ not put a child like him through experimentation. He should have the right to live a normal life with his older brother, Edward Elric, as his rightful guardian. I'm sorry, but the answer is 'no,' Mr. Nigma."

"But, sir . . ."

"That's my decision, Mr. Nigma! If you're so much as sighted within the same range as the Elric brothers, I will see to it personally that you are punished. Both these boys are in my care as of now, and I won't allow you to keep troubling their lives. You have my answer, so leave before I have the guards escort you out!"

Professor Nigma stormed out of the mansion in rage, leaving Roy and Ed. Roy gave another sly smirk.

"Now, you see how easily I handled that, Ed? You could really learn something from me."

His expression turned serious again.

"Keep your guard up. I don't think we've heard or seen the last of him."

Ed turned to Roy.

"Thanks for helping us, Mustang."

"Don't think I'm letting you off, Fullmetal. I meant what I said before about you being valuable. After all, someone with your alchemic skills should be in my highest ranks. Don't you agree, General Elric?"

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**Yay! My third chapter! Just to let you all know, because I spent a lot of time with this chapter, I forgot to mention that Al was wearing Ed's red jacket the entire time.HE WAS NOT NAKED! Sorry I forgot to mention that, and I hope that it clears that situation up, just in case you were wondering.I alsowant to bring Professer Nigma back, perhaps as the main villain in this story. Maybe you could tell me if you think it's a good idea to add him in as the villain. Whatever the outcome,though, I still plan to keep the main story around Ed and Al themselves, since it _is_ supposed to be about _them_. By the way, I created Nigma's name by cutting off the 'e' in 'enigma.' Yay laziness! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of its characters.

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**

**Chapter 4**

Edward sat on a soft sofa in his new (and quite spacious) office. Now that he was a general, he wouldn't regularly be going on many field missions. The majority of his workday would consist mostly of office and paper work. It would be only once every month that he would travel, unless something reallyimportant happened. The best part was that, unlike Mustang, Ed actually _did _his work on time and didn't slack off. This left him with plenty of free time to spend with his brother.

Ed looked away from the book he was reading and turned his head to his left, smiling. Al was curled up next to him, napping, with a blanket covering him up. Reaching down, Edward ran his fingers through the silky soft bronze hair, humming a gentle lullaby that their mother used to sing as she tucked them into bed. He was determined to be for Al at least _half _the parent Trisha was for both of them. Ed loved Al far too much to be anything less.

Ed looked up, startled, at the sound of soft knocking coming from the door. Mustang quietly entered the room.

"Hello, Edward."

"Mustang."

Roy smiled as his gaze fell on Al, lightly ruffling his hair in silent greeting. It had only been a week, and Al was already proving to be very popular with most of the building's staff (especially the women). However, Ed made sure that, for the most part, they were left alone.

"What do you want?"

"What's wrong, Ed? Can't the Fuhrer pay a visit to one of his most trusted and prized generals?"

"Don't I get enough just by living with you?"

Roy frowned.

"We've been over this, Fullmetal. Right now, the safest place for you to live is with me. You did a _human transmutation_, Ed. In case you've forgotten, it's still a taboo, no matter how you use it. If you left, you'd be hounded relentlessly."

They both froze as Al stirred, and eased up when he settled back down. Roy continued in a softer tone.

"Did you know that _I'm_ taking a risk as well? Like I said, human transmutation is taboo, no matter what. There are people who think you should've gone under experimentation, like Nigma. There are people who believe you should go to jail, though to me that seems a bit much. By not doing either, Ed, it's easy for people to believe that I'm playing favorites. For someone in my position, that would be completely unjust. Of course, who better to keep you under surveillance than the Fuhrer himself? That, fortunately, seems to be the opinion of most people."

Ed looked down with a guilty expression. Roy sighed.

"When I'm sure everything is safe, Ed, I'll find a nice place for you and Al to live in, I promise. I want to give you both the opportunity to live normally for a change."

"Thanks, Mustang."

Roy looked around the room. There were toys (which Ed had made) that were scattered around the floor.

"Your office looks like a daycare center."

"Do you expect Al to just sit around all day and do nothing? You're the one who said it was perfectly alright for Al to come to the office with me. He's not doing any harm and you know it. Besides, I usually pick up after Al falls asleep. I just wanted to do some more reading today."

"Really? What are you reading?"

Roy snatched the book from Ed's hands, much to Ed's protesting. Roy read the title.

"The Development and Growth of Three-Year-Olds. Awww . . ."

"Shut up!"

"That's so mature of you, Edward."

"Sorry if I was _four_ the last time Al was this age."

"Has this book been helpful?"

"In some areas."

"What do you mean?"

"According to the book, Al's emotional development is where it should be. He's eager to please, very helpful, has common childish fears, loves to play and use his imagination, and even carries around a stuffed animal wrapped in my red jacket as a security blanket."

They both looked at Al. Indeed, he was cuddled up with a stuffed cat (which Al loved to death) that was wrapped in a red jacket. The jacket made Al always feel close to his brother. Ed continued speaking.

"However, his intellectual development is more advanced. He's more well spoken than an average three-year-old, he's able to read simple sentences, he can figure out very simple math problems, and he's very polite."

"But you just said he was eager to please."

"Yes, but that's because children at this age begin to understand that the people around them have feelings. They're not supposed to understand and develop a set of actual morals until they're around six. Al understands the concept of right and wrong."

"Are you concerned with this?"

"No, actually. Mom said that we were always very intelligent, even when we were young. If we could understand and perform alchemy at five and six, it doesn't surprise me that Al is this advanced."

Al stirred again, opening his eyes. After yawning and stretching, he leapt up and hugged his brother.

"Hey, Al. Did you have a nice nap?"

"Uh-huh."

"That's good. Would you like to play out in the courtyard?"

"Yeah!"

Roy grinned, until he seemed to realize something.

"Wait, Ed. Don't you have work to do?"

Ed smirked.

"Oh yeah, that. I finished all of it."

"You _finished_ it?"

"See for yourself."

Roy looked back at Ed's desk, where there was a neat stack of papers, all finished.

"_How?"_

"Because he doesn't procrastinate, sir."

Both men looked in the direction of the voice. Standing in the doorway was Riza. Al ran forward and hugged her.

"Aunt Riza!"

"Hi, Al. Are you having a good day?"

"Uh-huh. Brother's gonna take me outside."

"Really? You must be excited."

"Yep!"

Riza smiled, then became serious again.

"Did you tell him, sir?"

"Not yet."

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"What? Tell me what?"

"As you know, Edward, the State Alchemist Exam is in a few weeks. As general, you have to attend all the events as an official."

"Damn it!"

"Ooh, brother said a bad word."

"Yes I did, and I better never hear _you_ say it, understand?"

Al nodded. Roy let out an exasperated sigh.

"Come on, Ed. It's only for three days."

"Who'll watch Al?"

Riza stepped forward.

"I will. I'm not one of the officials during the exam, so I don't have to be there. And don't worry, Black Hayate will help me. You know how reliable he is."

Ed sweat dropped. That dog _was_ very intelligent.

"Brother, I wanna go outside now."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. Alphonse?"

"Huh?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Can't I take Kitty out this one time?"

"Not if you're playing."

"But brother . . ."

"No buts, Al. He'll get all dirty and then you won't be able to sleep with him. Anyway, cats don't like getting dirty because then they'd have to take a bath, and cats don't like water. You don't want to make Kitty sad, do you?"

"No."

"Okay then. You can play with him after we come back inside."

Al went over to the sofa and tucked the cat into the corner of the arm. He ran back to Ed and clung to his leg.

"Can we go out now?"

"Yes, we can go out now."

"Edward . . ."

"I'll be there Mustang."

After that, Ed walked out with Al.

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Edward was kneeling on a clear patch of dirt with Al (who was going to need a serious bath when they got home), transmuting small figures. Al was giggling and clapping his hands in excitement, watching his brother. He would sometimes imitate Ed's actions, clapping his hands and thrusting them to the ground, and be disappointed when nothing happened.

"Okay, Al. I think you're dirty enough for today. It's getting late, we should get back inside."

"But I can't touch Kitty with my hands."

Edward looked behind him and saw a decorative fountain.

"Go wash off the dirt in that fountain."

"'Kay."

"_Don't_ play in it."

" . . . 'Kay."

Ed watched Al run to fountain and start splashing his hands in the water.

"Hey, Ed. I didn't think I'd see you out here."

"Fuery? What're you doing out here?"

"I came to check on the bird feeder I put up yesterday. I have to make sure that . . . Hey, what's that? There's something moving in the bushes, heading towards the fountain."

Ed spun around in time to see Nigma rush out of the bushes, heading straight for Al.

"KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HIM YOU BASTARD!"

Edward clapped his hands and slammed them to the ground. A pillar of earth shot from the ground, thrusting Nigma into the fountain, and knocking Al to the ground. He would've done more, but Al needed him. Quickly, he scooped up the crying child and ran inside. Fuery had already run inside to warn the soldiers. Before they could reach him, however, Nigma had disappeared.

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After they arrived home, the first thing Ed did was give Al a bath. After that, dinner was eaten, in silence. Ed looked over at Al, who was picking at his food. This concerned him, considering that Al usually ate faster than he did.

"Alphonse?"

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

" . . . I'm not hungry. I don't feel good."

Riza walked over and pressed her hand against Al's forehead.

"It doesn't feel like he has a fever."

Ed picked him up and held him.

"He's probably scared. He must be still upset about what happened earlier. Is it alright if I put him to bed?"

"Of course, Edward."

"Thanks."

After ten minutes of sitting at Al's bedside waiting for him to fall asleep, Ed entered the living room. Without warning, he struck the wall with his flesh fist.

"DAMN!"

Roy kept his calm composer.

"Calm down, Edward."

"How the hell am I supposed to calm down, knowing Nigma, that _bastard_, is stalking us? If Fuery hadn't noticed, Al . . ."

"But Fuery _did_ notice, Ed, and you _did_ save Al."

"I should've kept a closer eye on him. I should've been the first one to notice something was wrong."

Ed was suddenly jerked forward as Roy grabbed his collar.

"You better listen to me, Edward, and you better listen close. You're not going to start one of your guilt trips, and you're _not_ going to blame yourself for this. Alphonse needs you. You can't be on top of him twenty-four seven, and I honestly don't expect you to be. You can, however, learn from this. You should have an idea of what to expect now. Use this to protect him better."

Roy let go of Ed's collar.

"You're only human, Ed. Don't expect to be able to protect him from everything. You have to think realistically, and focus on everything that you're _able _to do, not what you _want _to do."

In a rare moment, Roy gave Ed a true smile.

"I've seen you changing subtly this past week, Ed. You're growing and maturing into an adult, and I couldn't be happier for the both of you. Don't let this bring you down."

Roy walked over to the doorway.

"I'm going to bed. Just to let you know, I have search parties covering the entire city for Nigma. Try not to worry to much."

Ed was left alone with his thoughts. About twenty minutes later, he went to bed as well.

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It was midnight when the mansion was filled with an earsplitting scream. Hysterical crying followed a millisecond later. 'Flying' didn't even come close to describing the speed that Edward left his bed. He held Al firmly against his chest, trying to calm him down. Al's eyes were wide open, almost bugging out, but Ed had a feeling that he wasn't _really_ awake.

Roy and Riza burst through the door, Roy with one of his gloves, Riza with a loaded gun.

"EDWARD! What's wrong!"

Ed stood up, still holding Al.

"I don't know, I don't know! He just started screaming!"

"BROTHER!"

Ed held Al tighter, rubbing his back.

"Alphonse, shhhh, it's okay, it's okay. I'm right here."

Roy went over and gently brushed Al's bangs.

"Al, Alphonse, can you hear me?"

Al continued to cry and scream, only now it was muffled by Ed's chest.

"This isn't good. He's either delirious, or he's still in his nightmare."

"W-What should I do?"

"I don't think it's possible to bring him out of it, Ed. The only thing we can do right now is wait it out."

The 'wait' lasted hours, with the three of them never leaving Al's side. Finally, at three in the morning, the wailing started to subside. It was now replaced by coughing and whimpering. Ed watched as Al looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. His voice sounded painfully hoarse, too. Riza left to get him some water.

"Brother . . . ?"

"I'm here, Al."

Suddenly, Al grabbed at Ed's right arm and hand, staring at it.

"Alphonse?"

Al tried to speak, but his throat was raw. A moment later, Riza entered with a glass of cold water, which Ed took gratefully. After drinking it, it was easier for Al to speak.

"Do you remember anything, Al?"

"You were hurt."

"I was hurt?"

"You were bleeding. There was a lot of blood."

_Blood? Did he dream that Nigma killed me?_

"What else do you remember?"

Al answered without stopping.

"There was a fire and then a girl and then you were hitting her daddy and then there was more blood and then a lot of other things happened-"

"Alphonse, slow down a minute-"

"Then a man made your arm blow up!"

"My arm?"

"He had a lot of weird black lines onhisarm and had an 'x' on his face and he grabbed your arm and then there was a red light and then your arm blew up and I was scared brother!"

"Al-"

"And I was made of metal! Why was I metal, brother?"

All the blood drained from Ed's face. The night terrors had nothing to do with Nigma. They were Al's lost memories. Memories that presented themselves as terrible nightmares.

It seemed that Nigma wouldn't be the only problem the Elric brothers would have to face.

* * *

Wow. This chapter is over 2,000 words long, and took me three days to write. Hopefully I came up with a good explanation about why Al was soadvanced for athree-year-old. I did some research on the internet, so now I have some idea about what's common. It wouldn't really surprisemeif Ed and Al were advanced at an early age, since they were doing alchemy at 5 and 6. I would like to have more of the memory trips in later chapters, also. I just have to figure out how to write them into the story. For those of you who might have trouble figuring it out, the part with the girl and Ed beating up her dad was supposed to be the incident with Nina. And for my final comment:Stupid Nigma, trying to steal Al while Ed's standing right there! 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:I don't own FMA or any of its characters.

* * *

**

Chapter Five

It had been two weeks since Nigma's kidnapping attempt and the first memory trip. Since then, nobody had been able to find any trace of Nigma, and it was discovered that the memory trips happened at random and couldn't be predicted. However, they did know that the trips ranged from an almost hazy mild to a terrifying extreme. Other than that, life went on as usual. Well, not _exactly_.

Due to the fact that the Alchemy Exam was in five days, all the officials were swamped with work, including Ed. This was bad, considering that this meant he had almost no time to spend with Al during the day. He even had their lunches brought to his office so he could keep working. Ed noticed that Al was becoming quieter and more depressed. This _definitely_ wasn't the ideal environment for a three-year-old. He thought about leaving Al with Gracia during the day for a while, but Elysia had come down with a bad cold. That's when Ed decided he'd have to make a phone call. One that could have very well ended his life, considering how long it'd been since the last time he called the person.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Winry."

"ED!"

"Yeah . . ."

"What the hell do you want?"

"Woah, what's _your_ problem?"

"You haven't contacted me or anything in the past year, then you call and expect me to be all happy? You're a moron if that's what you think, especially after what you did!"

"What the hell did I do!"

"Don't start with me, Ed."

"Hey! If I'm being accused of something, I have every right to know what it is I-"

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU SHOW UP AT GRANNY'S FUNERAL?"

" . . . Auntie's . . . dead? When . . . when did this happen?"

Winry could here the shock and sorrow in Ed's voice.

"You're serious, aren't you Ed? You mean you never got any of my messages?"

"You think I'd be standing here fighting with you over a phone about this if I did? I had no idea, Winry!"

"I'm sorry . . . Edward . . . I should've known you wouldn't do something like that on purpose. It's just that . . . at the funeral . . . I kept waiting, looking, and you never . . ."

"It's okay. I would've been the same way if you weren't with us when Mom died. But when, how?"

"A few months ago. She . . . passed on in her sleep. The doctor said the cause was old age."

"But she was one of the toughest people I knew! How did she just . . ?"

"I don't know. I tried to find some other answer, but the doctor said he looked more than once and could find nothing really wrong with her. She just . . ."

" . . . Damn . . ."

"The worst part was that she was alone. I was in Rush Valley with Dominique, serving as his apprentice. A neighbor found her that morning, when he delivered automail parts she'd asked for the previous day."

"Winry . . ."

"I remember screaming when I received the phone call that day. Dominique gave me as much time off as I needed."

"You said it's been a few months since . . ."

"I know."

" . . . I see."

"You must think I'm weak, huh? It's been months and I still haven't returned to Dominique to finish my training. I'm such a coward."

"I don't _ever_ want to hear those leave your mouth _ever again_. In case you've forgotten, you're talking to someone who tried to bring their mother back from the dead. You're still in pain. You probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on work even if you _did_ go back to Rush Valley. You're smart, Winry. You'll know when it's time to start moving again. Wait a year, and if you're still in Risembool, _then _start to worry, okay? And if you need to talk to me then call me, come to Central. Hell, I'll even come to you if that's what you want. I'll take Al and . . . Oh, right. That's why I called, isn't it?"

"What're you talking about, Ed? Is it Al? What happened to Al!"

"I . . . can't explain it over the phone."

"That's it, I'm coming over to Central!"

"Winry, are you sure-"

"If I get there and find that something bad's happened, YOU ARE IN FOR IT!"

:Click:

Ed sighed, hanging up the phone.

"I guess _she's_ going to be okay, though now I should start worrying about myself."

Ed smiled, kneeling down to look at Alphonse, who was clinging to his leg.

"Hey, guess what."

"Huh?"

"You're going to meet a new friend today."

"Is it the person who was yelling on the phone?"

"Yep."

"I don't know if I wanna meet 'em."

"Don't worry, she's not mean. In fact, she's going to absolutely love you."

"Oh. What's her name?"

"Winry."

"'Kay."

"Will you remember?"

"Uh-huh."

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, let's go get some lunch."

"I thought we were gonna go meet your friend."

"We will, once you finish your nap."

"'Kay."

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Winry stood in the middle of Central Station, looking around.

_Where could he be?_

"Hi, Winry."

Winry spun to the source of the voice.

"Edward?"

"Who'd you think it was?"

"You look . . . different."

"Do I really?"

"When did you start wearing a military uniform? And your hair's tied up, not in a braid."

"It's kind of a long story."

"Well then, you have some explaining to do."

Ed grinned, scratching the back of his head.

"Heh, yeah, I guess I do. But first, let's get back to Central Headquarters."

"Alright, but you'd better tell me everything, Ed."

"Don't worry, I will."

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As Ed and Winry walked through the hallways of Central Headquarters, they eventually came to a door that had a sign hanging on it. The big bold letters on it read:

**QUIET! SLEEPING CHILD!**

"Sleeping child? Ed, what's going on?"

"You'll see."

Ed knocked softly, opening the door. Havoc looked up from where he was sitting at the desk. They talked in quiet tones.

"Hey, you're back, Chief."

"Yeah. How's . . ."

"Little Chief is still asleep. Good thing, too. I wasn't sure how he would react if he woke up and you were gone."

"Thanks for watching him, Havoc."

"No problem."

Havoc walked by the sofa, whispering quietly.

"Bye, Little Chief."

Ed closed the door behind Havoc, then walked to the couch.

"Winry, come here. There's something you need to see."

Winry slowly walked over to the sofa, unsure if she even wanted to know what was happening anymore. She watched Ed sit down and gently lift the blanket next to him. What she saw was a three-year-old boy with bronze hair curled around a stuffed cat wrapped in a red jacket.

"Is . . . Is that . . ."

"Alphonse? Yes."

"What happened, Edward!"

"The Philosopher's Stone wasn't enough to restore his original body. This is the result."

"When?"

"About three weeks ago."

"Three weeks? Ed, why didn't you call me sooner?"

"A lot's been happening."

"Like what?"

"There's this man, a scientist, who . . . wants to experiment on Al."

"The Fuhrer's not actually considering it, is he?"

"Oh, hell no. Mustang may be a bastard, but he'd _never_ do _anything_ like that, especially to Al."

"So, what's the problem?"

"He . . . tried to kidnap Al two weeks ago. They haven't been able to find him yet."

"Oh, Ed. I'm so sorry."

"There's something else."

"What?"

"Sometimes, at night while he sleeps, he has night terrors."

"Doesn't that happen to other small children?"

"These aren't normal night terrors, Winry. There . . . memories."

"Memories?"

"Yeah. Some nights he barely makes any sign that he's having them, and other nights . . . It's so terrible I can't even describe it to you. I can't imagine what must be going through his head when he sees everything that we went through."

"Ed, I . . ."

"Don't apologize, Winry. It's not like you're doing this."

"Still, there has to be something I can do."

"Actually, that's kinda the reason I called. I have to be one of the officials in the Alchemy Exam, which is five days from now. I'm practically drowning in paperwork, so that means I have no time to play with Al. All this lack of attention is starting to have an effect on him, so I was wondering if you could spend the five days with him."

"I'd love to Ed!"

"You sure you're okay with this, Winry?"

Winry smiled.

"Don't worry about me, Ed. I think this is exactly what I need to get me back on my feet again."

"Yeah, he has that effect on people."

They both looked down as Al began to wake up. He sluggishly pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes. When he was fully awake, he noticed Winry kneeling in front of him. He snuggled shyly against his brother.

"Al, do you remember my friend's name?"

Al shook his head. Ed chuckled.

"This is Winry, Al."

"Hi, Winry."

Al never moved from his position against Ed, but never took his eyes off of Winry, either.

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. He's just very shy. Al, Winry's going to play with you while I work, okay?"

" . . .'Kay."

As Ed worked to the soft hum of voices, occasionally interrupted by hysterical fits of laughter, he felt at that moment that life couldn't have been better for them.

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Al cried when Winry left for Rush Valley on the morning of the first day of the exam. He cried even more when he couldn't follow Ed to the exam room. The rest of that day consisted mostly of Al moping around and sucking his thumb (which he was scolded repeatedly for, by both Riza _and_ Ed). The second day was much better. Al was more open, and actually wanted to play with Riza instead of spending his day sulking. By the third day, Al was back to his normal self. Unfortunately, that wouldn't last.

Nigma stood, waiting, in the conference room near the Fuhrer's office. The fact that no one would be using it because of the exam made it the perfect hiding place. All he had to do now was wait for his chance. Seven of his other colleagues wanted to get their hands on Al as much as he did, so they were more than eager to help him in his schemes. Two of them would create distractions. One would keep the officials, including Edward, outside. The other would get whoever was in the office with Al out of the room.

_It's almost time. As soon as I'm sure that damned brother won't interfere, I'll make my move._

Riza sat on the sofa inside the office, watching Al repeatedly throw a ball to Black Hayate. Most of the time spent the day before consisted of teaching Al how to make Hayate do tricks. Needless to say, the dog never seemed to get a moment's rest now, not that he minded.

"Aunt Riza, can I go out and say hi to brother?"

"I'm sorry, Al, but no. You're brother's very busy, and he doesn't want you to get hurt."

"Why would I get hurt?"

"Because what he's doing is very dangerous."

"Will _he_ get hurt?"

Riza chuckled.

"I don't think so. Your brother's very smart. He can take care of himself."

"'Kay."

"Come on, let's go get lu-"

Gunshots rang out through the hallways of Central Headquarters. In the distance, gunshots could be heard outside, too. Riza grabbed Al and set him under the Fuhrer's desk. She tucked Kitty firmly into his arms.

"Alphonse, you stay here and don't move unless someone finds you and tries to hurt you, understand?"

Al nodded, clinging to Riza's hand.

"Black Hayate, guard him with your life."

Hayate barked in response, pressing his body against Al's. Riza ran out with her gun. After a few moments, Al could hear the door opening and closing again. Hayate tensed. He knew it wasn't Riza. As the person approached the desk, he began to growl.

"Don't growl, Hayate. That's naughty."

"There you are!"

As soon as Nigma reached under the desk to grab Al, Hayate sprung.

"AAH! DAMN DOG!"

Al began to scream, too terrified to move. He recognized the man as the one who tried to take him before.

"BROTHER!"

Nigma managed to throw Hayate off of him, then began to pull Al out from under the desk. Hayate leapt on Nigma's back, driving his fangs into Nigma's shoulder. When he stood up to throw the dog off of him again, he came face to face with the barrel of a gun.

"I should've known _you'd_ be behind this, Nigma. Black Hayate!"

Hayate trotted over to Riza, wagging his tail. At that moment, two soldiers came through the door.

"Mrs. Mustang, do you need help?"

"Take Nigma to the Central Prison."

"Right away, ma'am."

After Nigma was led away, Riza knelt under the desk. Al was huddled in a corner, shaking. When she reached in to touch him, he cried out and flinched away.

"Alphonse, it's okay. It's me."

There was no change. After a minute of trying to calm the child down, Ed burst in the room.

"Where's Al!"

"He's right here, Ed. He won't let me touch him."

"Let me try."

Ed got the same reaction.

"I don't think he understands that it's us. Wait, I have an idea."

Ed took off his right glove and reached in with his exposed automail hand. Al winced at its cold touch, and looked up. Ed smiled at him, opening his arms.

"Come here, Al."

Al threw himself in Ed's arms, crying.

"Sssh, sssh . . . Hush, Al. It's okay, you're safe. I'm right here, it's alright."

"What're you going to do now, Ed?"

"Take him home, I guess. It would hurt him more if I left him again."

"What happened outside?"

"The same thing that happened in here. Mustang took care of him, though."

Just then, another soldier rushed through the door.

"Nigma and his colleagues escaped!"

"How!"

"They . . . injected red water into the soldiers that were transporting them. They were seen fleeing the area."

"And the soldiers?"

" . . . Dead."

"Damn . . ."

The exam continued later that night, with Ed absent since he took Al home. Al refused to leave the house the following week.

**

* * *

I really abused the ellipses in this chapter. As for Pinako dying, all I can say is that I never intended to write that in the beginning. It happened as I was typing the story. I needed to further the plot, but I didn't know how. I knew Ed not calling would makeWinry mad, but I needed a reason for her to be _really_ pi$$ed off (yes, I censored myself). I figured Pinako dying and them not being there would be a good reason. Also, Roy was NOT one of the soldiers transporting the villains, so he is NOT dead. I don't think you would havethought that anyway, but just in case, there you go. What's going tohappen next? I don't even know!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of its characters.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 6**

"You can't be serious!"

"I don't see what the problem is, Ed."

"The _problem_ is that you put him under my command!"

"He's a new State Alchemist that needs a commander. Since you two seemed to be already acquainted with each other, I put him with you. I thought that you, of all people, would enjoy being in control. Your reaction comes as a real shock to me, Edward."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why you've got that smug grin on, you bastard."

"Language, Ed. We certainly don't want Al to pick up your dirty mouth."

" . . . Shut up."

Roy sighed, shaking his head. They were interrupted by a hard knocking, followed by the door opening.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes. As of right now, your commanding officer will be General Elric, whom I'm sure you've already met."

"WHAT! You mean I have to listen to that _JERK_!"

"Hey! I'm not exactly thrilled about this either!"

"Why? Can't stand looking at someone who's younger but _taller_ than you?"

"You son of a-"

"CHILDREN!"

Both of them immediately stopped. Roy continued.

"Whether you like it or not, you two will be working together. I suggest you two become each other's 'best friend,' or there's going to be problems . . . for you BOTH!"

" . . . Sorry."

Roy let out another sigh, heading for the door. As he was walking out, he paused, grinning.

"However, I _would_ like you to show Ed the same respect he's shown me over the years."

Before Ed could say anything, the door shut and Roy was gone. Growling, he walked over to his desk and sat down, muttering to himself.

"Stupid jackass."

" . . . Well?"

"Well what?"

"You're my commander. Aren't you going to give me a mission?"

"Yeah, shut up and get the hell out of my office so I can work."

"Ed-"

"If I have a mission for you, I'll let you know. Now leave!"

Ed could hear the sound of footsteps leaving his desk, then heard the door open. That's when he suddenly remembered something.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"I think I _do _have something for you. I have to travel around Central tomorrow to make sure nothing suspicious is happening in the city. It should only take me a few hours, but while I'm out, I want you . . . to watch my brother."

"I'm a State Alchemist and you're saying my first job is going to be babysi- . . . Wait, why does Al need a babysitter?"

"Al's . . . different now. He's not the same as when you met him."

" What happened!"

"I'll explain later."

"Ed, I don't know . . ."

"Please . . ."

"Alright, but come early. I want you to tell me everything."

"Alright, I will."

The door closed. Ed could feel a gentle tug at his pant leg, and looked down, smiling. Ever since Al returned to the military building, his favorite place to be was under Ed's desk, where he felt safe. That's also where his toys stayed conveniently hidden.

"Who was that?"

"Another friend. You're going to meet him and his brother tomorrow."

"'Kay."

Ed grinned. Yes, it _was_ time that Alphonse became re-acquainted with Fletcher Tringham and Russell Tringham, the Green Thumb Alchemist.

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All was quiet at the abandoned Laboratory Five building. It had been years since its operations were shut down, and over one year since its _underground_ operations were shut down. All that remained was a broken building full of unpleasant memories. At least, that's what everyone thought.

Nigma and his seven colleagues sat in a dimly lit lab room in the basement. Most would think that Lab Five would be an obvious place for wanted scientists to hide in, but because it had been shut down twice, they believed that no one would give the ghost building a second glance, and so far, they had been right. This was their hideout and headquarters. Nigma, however, was sick of waiting.

"We need to be quicker. No more sneaking around. That gives the military too much time to react. Also, he can't be in a place that's crawling with militants. He needs to be out in the open, somewhere public and full of civilians. A place that's easy to lose a child in."

A women spoke up. Nobody in the military knew she was one of Nigma's associates.

"Fullmetal will be traveling around Central tomorrow, doing inspection rounds. A car will drive him to an area in Central, then he'll get out and walk around the streets before returning to the car to be driven somewhere else. He'll most likely take 'it' with him , so we could do it then."

Another scientist joined in.

"But no matter what we do, Fullmetal's first priority will always be his brother. How the hell are we suppose to grab him?"

Nigma smirked.

"Well then, we'll just have to make sure that Fullmetal won't be a problem."

He looked back at the female scientist.

"Miss Tray, you're going to follow Fullmetal around in disguise, carrying a knife."

He had on a sick grin.

"There's going to be an incident so great that no body will notice if one child goes missing at the exact same moment."

He laughed.

"Tomorrow, we're going to kill the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

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Edward sat in the apartment that Russell and Fletcher lived in. He _did _come early, just like Russell asked. When Ed finished explaining everything, Russell looked at the little boy who was buried against Ed's body, trying to hide from him.

"So, this little guy is Al?"

Giving a small squeak, Al hid his face.

"Alright, Al. That's enough."

Ed gently pulled him into his lap.

"Yes, this is him. Don't worry, he's just very shy. Alphonse, this is Russell."

A small, muffled 'hi' was heard.

"And this is his little brother, Fletcher."

"Hi, Al."

Fletcher reached out and softly stroked Al's hair. Al turned his head slightly so he could see. Ed smiled.

"There, see? They're our friends. You don't have to be afraid of them."

He looked at the clock, then carefully handed Al to Russell.

"I have to go. Make sure he takes his nap at twelve-thirty, or else he'll become _very_, _very_ cranky."

"Brother!"

Ed looked at Al, who had tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Hey, Al. Don't cry, it's okay. I'll be back to take you home later, alright?"

He hugged him tightly, planting a fatherly kiss on the top of his head.

"You be good, okay?"

"Can't I come with you?"

Ed paused in thought.

Can't_ he come with me? I suppose he could, it wouldn't be any trouble to take him, but . . . Ugh! How come whenever I consider bringing him, I hear the word 'no' screamed in my head!_

"I would feel better if you stayed here."

"'Kay."

As Ed reached the door, he stopped. He turned and grinned.

"Oh, and Russell, I expect a full report about this tomorrow."

"You can't be serious!"

"That is your job, and you'll do it without complaint. Am I clear, Green Thumb Alchemist?"

" . . . Yes, sir."

"Good, and my brother better be _smiling _when I get back!"

Ed was gone. Russell let out a growl, then looked down. Al clung to his shirt, looking up at him with big bronze eyes. Russell wasn't sure what he should do next. Luckily for him, Fletcher did. He knelt down in front of him.

"Hey Al, do you want to see something neat?"

Al turned to look at him. Sniffling, he nodded his head. Fletcher left for a few moments, and returned with a small potted plant.

"Alright, watch this."

Fletcher drew an array in the soil. When he touched it, there was a bright flash of light, then the buds on the plant bloomed into brilliantly colored flowers. Al squealed in excitement, clapping his hands. Fletcher grinned.

"Do you like that? I can show you a lot more if you want. Why don't you let me take care of him, brother?"

"If you're sure."

Russell set Al on the ground, who then clung to Fletcher's hand and was led away.

Russell sighed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

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Ed sat, slumped, in the back seat of the car. Havoc was driving him.

"Aw, cheer up, Chief! Just one more stop after this one!"

"It would be better if this one _was_ the last one."

"Well, maybe you can finish sooner if you walked faster."

"It's not just that. I have to actually enter and inspect popular hangouts. You don't think I take so long because I'm slow, do you?"

"We're here!"

Ed stepped out of the car, grumbling about how he _wasn't_ slow. He made his way down the street, looking around. The next building he was supposed to inspect was at the end. Unfortunately, he would never make it there. As Ed made his way through the crowded street, it was easy for him to not notice the cloaked figure approaching him.

It happened in a second, but to Ed, it was as if time had slowed down. Right as he was about to pass the person, they quickly drove a knife into the middle of his chest, then just as quickly pulled it out and kept walking as if nothing had happened. Ed stood there, his mind trying to register what had just happened. When it did, people were already screaming and yelling for help, and Ed was falling to his knees, clutching the wound.

_What . . . Who was that? Why . . . Why am I bleeding? It won't stop . . . I'm so dizzy. Am I . . . Am I dying? It's getting harder to breathe._

Ed was lying on his side now, blood covering his chest, belly, and the pavement around him. He could barely see, and could only faintly make out voices.

_Was I attacked? Yes, I was stabbed . . . Someone stabbed me . . . Am I going to die? I can't die . . . Al . . . What'll happen to him? I have to take care of him . . . He'll be so scared . . . It'll be okay, Al . . . Alphonse . . . Al . . . phonse . . ._

His world went black.

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By the time it was six, Al began to worry. When it was eight, Russell began to worry. Not long after that, there was a knock at the door. Russell rushed forward to answer it.

"It's about time you- . . . Fuhrer?"

Just as Roy was about to speak, Al appeared beside Russell.

"Where's brother?"

Roy knelt down in front of him, gently stroking his hair.

"He said he'd come take me home. Is he in the car?"

Roy quickly pulled Al into his arms, and stood up. He began to slightly sway back and forth.

"Where's brother, Uncle Roy?"

"Sir, let me take him."

Roy looked at Riza, who standing beside him. Slowly, he handed Al to her, with an almost dazed look on his face. Riza left for the car. Russell spoke up.

"Sir, what's happened?"

"Go sit down."

Russell did without question. After what seemed like forever, Roy finally broke the silence.

"Edward . . . Edward was stabbed today."

"What the hell! When . . . How did this happen!"

"He was walking through an area in Central. Witnesses say that by the time anyone realized what happened, whoever did it was long gone."

" . . . How is he?"

"Not good. He was stabbed far too close to the heart."

Russell noticed that Roy looked like he was close to breaking down.

"He's also lost too much blood, and he's having trouble breathing. The doctor said that . . . he'll most likely be dead by morning."

Roy's breath hitched, and he covered his face with his hand. After a moment he began talking again.

"I've been contacting the ones closest to him. As it turns out, he's given his mechanic a will that's not supposed to be read until his death. It probably concerns his brother."

Havoc appeared in the doorway, panting.

"Sir, you should get back to the car. Al's becoming _really_ fussy."

"Alright, I'm coming. Goodbye, Green Thumb Alchemist."

Russell was left to let the information sink in. About thirty minutes later, he went to inform Fletcher.

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"Where's my brother! Aunt Riza, where is he!"

Roy, Riza, and Al were in the master bedroom. Ever since they picked him up, Al was become increasingly difficult.

"Al, calm down."

"NO! WHERE'S BROTHER! WHERE IS HE!"

Just as they thought that Al would explode, he broke down crying. Riza quickly picked him up and held him, his small arms wrapping around her neck.

"Where's my big brother?"

"He's not here, sweetheart. Shhhhh, calm down. It's going to be okay."

When Al finally fell asleep, Roy turned off the lights. As they lay in bed, Riza, who was continuously rubbing Al's back, broke the silence.

"What are you thinking about, Roy?"

"Edward, and Alphonse. I'm worried about both of them, Riza. If Ed dies, what'll happen to Al? And I'm not talking about physically. What'll happen to him mentally, emotionally?"

"If Ed did die, what would _you_ do with Al?"

Roy sighed.

"I'd probably adopt him."

Riza smiled.

"I know you would. I would, too."

"We might not be able to, though. We'll have to see Ed's will first. His judgment is probably the best for deciding what happens to his brother."

"You speak as though he were already dead."

"He might be."

"You don't think he is, though, do you?"

"No. He's strong and stubborn."

"You care so much about these boys. Ed knows that. And he cares more about _you_ than he shows."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

They were silent for a moment, then Roy started speaking again.

"Nigma's behind this. I know he is."

"I know, too."

"When I find that bastard . . ."

"Get some sleep, Roy. We have to take Al to visit Ed tomorrow."

"How can you be sure that he'll be alive tomorrow?"

"Like you said, he's strong and stubborn. Good night."

All three had an uneasy sleep that night.

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**AN: My ruler button's being retarded. Anyway, finally! I was starting to think I'd _never_ finish this chapter! I got the stabbing idea from a manga picture I saw. Don't ask me what happened, 'cause I don't know. While we're talking about that, I just want to let you all know that Ed does NOT die, so you can breathe a sigh of relief. Sorry if you feel I've spoiled something, but I don't think I have. It's just to keep people from worrying. I gave Russell the name "Green Thumb Alchemist" out of lack of anything better to call him. I thought it was fitting, anyway. Also, I could totally see Roy wanting to care for Al in Ed's place, since I think that he has fatherly feelings for both the boys. And so, I leave you with this question (even if it's easy). How do you think I came up with the name "Tray"?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of its characters.**

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**Chapter 7**

They arrived at the hospital early the next morning, hoping to avoid the people Al hadn't met yet. It wasn't a good time for Al to get used to new faces. They did, however, run into Winry, who was sitting in the waiting room.

"Hello, Miss Rockbell."

"Hello."

Winry stood up, walking over to Roy, who was holding Al. She gently rubbed the back of his head as she talked to him.

"Hey, Al. Do you remember who I am?"

He nodded, one bronze eye gazing at her. In one motion, he turned his upper body so that both arms were reaching out to her. She pulled him carefully from Roy's arms. Al looked up at her, wide-eyed.

"Am I going to see brother now?"

Winry bit her lip, looking up at Roy. He answered for her.

"Very soon. I have to talk to the doctor first, okay?"

Al nodded his head, then rested it against Winry's shoulder. At that moment, the doctor entered the room, and confronted Roy. After a few minutes of what sounded like quiet mumbling, the doctor left, leaving Roy to talk to Riza.

"How is he?"

"Still sitting on death's doorstep. Even though his survival over night is a good sign, the doctor said there's still a good chance he could just suddenly die. We should only start looking forward to his recovery once he wakes up."

" . . . Should we still let Al see him?"

"Of course. It would probably be more damaging if we _didn't_ let Al see him. Besides, the doctor said it might help if Ed could here the voices of his loved ones. I think letting Al visit him is for the best."

Roy walked over to where Winry had sat down. She was trying to get Al to talk to her, but the only responses she got were one-word answers and silence. Al wasn't really interested in talking.

"Here, let me take him."

Al let out a small whine of protest at being picked up, but immediately snuggled against Roy's chest.

"We're going to see your brother now, okay?"

Al looked up with eagerness, nodding his head. After walking through a hallway, Roy stopped in front of a door.

"Listen, Alphonse. Your brother needs his sleep if we want him to get better, so you can't try to wake him up, okay?"

"'Kay."

"You can still talk to him, though. Just talk quietly."

"'Kay."

Roy smiled, and quietly pushed the door open. The room was almost completely white, and quiet. Ed was lying in a bed against the wall, an IV hooked up in his arm. A blanket was pulled over the bandage around his chest so Al wouldn't see it, and his hair framed his face. Balancing Al in one arm, Roy carefully pulled Ed's arm out, then laid Al against his side.

"Don't move around a lot, okay?"

Roy positioned Ed's arm so that it was wrapped around Al. Reaching into his jacket, Roy pulled out Kitty, still wrapped in Ed's red jacket. He tucked it gently between Ed and Al, who snuggled against both of them. It wasn't long before he fell asleep. Roy sat down next to the bed, running his hand through Al's hair.

"You have to survive this, Ed. For Al's sake."

Riza suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Sir, Ed and Al's teacher is here, and she's _not_ happy."

Roy flinched, both at the thought and the sound of Izumi's voice as it floated down the hall. This wasn't going to go well. He just hoped that Izumi would let him get enough words in to explain that Al was only three years old, and therefore couldn't endure one of her 'lectures'. Maybe she would calm down enough so that at least she wouldn't scare Al to death with her rage.

"Sir?"

"I'm coming."

He stood up quietly so he wouldn't wake Al, and after staring at him for a few moments, left the room.

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After ten minutes of a careful (and quick) explanation of the situation, Izumi was left rubbing her temples, frustrated. She couldn't really say that this was the last thing she expected, simply because she had never even thought of it to begin with. She was, however, sure about what she _was _thinking about.

"I would very much like to see them."

Roy gave her a hesitant look. This was the situation he wanted to avoid by coming early. He knew that meeting new people during this time would be overwhelming for Al. Looking at Izumi's face again, however, told him that he didn't have a choice.

"Alright, but be careful, Al's sleeping."

"I wouldn't do anything to upset the child, Fuhrer, so don't worry about that."

"I know-"

"ROY!"

It didn't even take a second for Roy, Izumi, and Winry to take off down the hall to where they heard Riza's voice. Roy's mind raced, coming to only one conclusion.

_Edward's dead. He couldn't fight anymore, he wasn't strong enough._

When he reached the doorway to Ed's room, he stopped dead.

Ed's arm was hanging off the bed, along with the red jacket. On the floor, about three feet from the bed, lay Al's precious stuffed cat. Al was nowhere to be seen.

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Tray rushed out of the hospital, clutching Alphonse against her chest. As she pushed passed the outside doors, she faintly heard the intercom telling the staff to lock all available exists. She quickly fled to the waiting car in front of the hospital, Al whimpering the whole time. It wasn't until she sat in the back seat, shut the door, and the car began to move that he started crying. Tray let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Shut _up _you damned brat! Give it a rest! And let go of me. I'm not your mother. You don't even _have_ a mother."

"Give him to me."

Tray looked over, then almost carelessly tossed the terrified child over to Nigma. The moment Al saw who was holding him, he began screaming and thrashing around, trying to free himself. Nigma struck Al across the cheek, hard. Al yelped, hung his head, and was reduced to whimpering again. He was then placed in between Nigma and Tray, where he curled up and cried silently. Tray sighed irritably, pushing her glasses up and readjusting her brown, tied-up hair.

"Are you sure he's this much trouble?"

"Of course he is! And what right have you to talk? You completely ruined our first plan."

"It's not my fault he didn't bring the kid with him! I didn't notice it until after I did it."

"You didn't even manage to kill him!"

Nigma rubbed his forehead.

"Well, at least you finished him off back there."

Tray remained silent.

"Tray, you _did_ kill him, didn't you?"

"I couldn't."

"You incompetent fool! What the hell is wrong with you!"

"If I had killed him there, I would've been found out! The best course of action was to just grab the kid and get the hell out of there."

"Well, at least you did _that_ right."

As the car drove on to the 5th Lab, neither noticed that Al had covered his ears and started rocking back and forth.

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Roy stared down at the stuffed cat that was now lying in his hands, gently stroking the head with his thumb. He felt like he was going to be sick. He looked up at Izumi, who was holding the red jacket. He had just finished explaining the 'problem' to her, and she was more pissed now than she was before.

"Do you know what kind of experiments they're going to do on him?"

Roy shook his head.

"There's no telling what they plan to do. I'm only sure that whatever they happens, it'll be a horrifying experience for Al."

He looked over at Riza. She had a very convincing poker face, but Roy could tell just by looking in her eyes that she was a nervous wreck right now. She was starting to see herself as a mother figure for Al, and those maternal feelings had skyrocketed through the roof when she discovered that Al was missing. He looked back down at the cat, eyes watering. However, his emotions quickly changed. His sorrow was suddenly replaced with rage and hatred.

_Those bastards will pay. When I find them, Alphonse had _better_ be alive, or they won't live long enough to even be arrested._

"_Riza_."

She was startled by anger in his voice.

"We're going back to Central Headquarters, _now._ I'm going to start a manhunt that'll cover the whole city of Central. Alphonse _will_ be found. I won't rest until he is."

"I'll help to."

He looked at the authoritative look on Izumi's face.

"Of course. Let's go."

"Fuhrer Mustang."

Roy turned and looked at Winry.

"Please, let me help too."

Roy's expression softened. Walking over to her, he put his hand on her shoulder.

"I think it'd be best if you stayed with Ed. He needs a friend at his side right now, to help him recover. I know you'd be one of the first people he'd want to see when he wakes up. And with Al missing, he's going to need someone to be strong for him."

Winry gained a look of understanding, and nodded her head.

"Alright. I'll do whatever I can to help Ed."

Roy smiled and walked out of the room, tucking Kitty into his jacket.

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**PLEASE READ: In case you didn't read my profile page, I'm sorry this chapter took so long. It'll be harder to write and post them now that school is back. Now that I've said that, I'll talk about the chapter. I feel so evil for abusing Al, but Nigma's an evil $$ and that's what he'd do. I wish Al were real so I could cuddle him. He's so adorable! And you see Izumi in this chapter! She's so awsome! I'd like to give her a bigger part in this fic. In case you're wondering how exactly Al was taken: Riza followed Roy when he left to talk to Izumi. During the ten minutes of explanation, Tray snuck in the room disguised as a doctor. She was supposed to kill Ed there, too, but she was afraid she'd get caught, so she left as quickly as possible. It wasn't until the end of the conversation between Roy and Izumi that Riza left to check on Ed and Al. That would explain when and why she was there. If you figured that out when you read the chapter, that's great! If you didn't, this will hopefully clear it up. Thank you for your patience. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of its characters.

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**Chapter 8**

Alphonse lay on the icy floor of a cramped cage. His tiny body was covered with bruises caused by rough handling, and even though it had only been three days, he was already suffering from malnutrition. The scientists had only given him what he thought was food once. Despite his hunger, he refused to eat it due to the weird smell it had. The moment he turned away from it, though, Tray grabbed him and held him while Nigma forced the foul tasting concoction down his throat. After twelve hours of crying, whimpering, and intense pain, Al finally threw it all up. He desperately wanted someone to pick him up and cuddle him for comfort, just as his brother would've, but all the scientists did was write on clipboards and murmur to each other. They did the same exact thing whenever he had a memory trip, too. Al really wanted to go home.

Al heard the door to the room opening, and looked up. The eight scientists walked in the room, Nigma and Tray walking up to the cage. This time they were holding a beaker of liquid. Al curled up in the corner of the cage, shivering, as the cage door was opened. Tray gripped his forearm and yanked him forward, forcefully, causing him to yelp. Soon, he was being restrained against her body, with Nigma shoving the beaker in his mouth. The liquid burned his throat, like salt in a cut, as it flowed down. Al collapsed on the floor, writhing in pain and choking out broken sobs. His mouth formed the word 'brother', the actual sound being strained through his now-damaged throat. Tray spoke to Nigma as she watched the child make a desperate (and pathetic) attempt to crawl away.

"I'm afraid we may be running out of time. The Fuhrer's search has become more aggressive. It's only a matter of time before he finds this place, and there's no way we can smuggle the child, along with ourselves, out of here. We should probably start with the bigger, more important experiments now, instead of wasting what precious time we have on these trivial ones."

Nigma gave a sigh of defeat.

"Very well. He wasn't showing any promising signs, anyway. So far, his body has been reacting to the chemicals as any normal person would."

"So what should we do now?"

"Let us proceed with the _final_ experiment."

"Already!"

"I want to be able to have time to dissect him, in order to view the construction of his insides. They'll most likely be flawless. If that is the case, it'll be the first successful and perfect human transmutation in history."

An insane look appeared in his eyes.

"To be the first scientist to examine the specimen of that extreme achievement, _that_ has truly been my life's mission. _Nothing_, not emotion, not a man, not a woman, or sympathy for a helpless and suffering child, will stand in my way. All of you, prepare for the final experiment. I want it ready by tonight!"

Nigma stormed out of the room without another word. His colleagues stood with shocked and fearful faces, then immediately began preparing, not wanting to know of the consequences if they failed him. Tray looked down at Al, who was now crumpled on the ground, unconscious. For the first time, she felt true pity and guilt over the doomed, innocent little life.

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Roy sat at his desk, absently looking at the pile of papers on it. He really wanted to go out and join his search parties, but he _was_ the Fuhrer and he still had different responsibilities. He had to wait until his exceptionally long break to leave. He looked over at Riza, who was also sitting at a desk.

"Hawkeye."

She snapped her head up, startled.

"Sir?"

"You can leave if you want. I know you want to look for him as much as I do."

"I should really stay with you, sir."

Roy opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it. It was no use arguing with her once she made up her mind. Just as he was about to go back to his work, the door burst open.

"WHY IS THIS CITY FULL OF HEARTLESS BASTARDS!"

Roy jumped to his feet.

"Havoc! What is it?"

Havoc threw himself in a chair, rested his elbows on the table, and held his head in his hands. His eyes and teeth were clenched. Breda answered for him.

"After questioning people for three days, we're beginning to understand the real views some people have about the Elric brothers."

"He's three-years-old! Why the hell should it matter how he was brought into this world!"

"Havoc, calm down and let me finish. As I was saying, there are quite a few people, about a quarter of the population, who don't think too highly of them. Although a lot of the responses we got were along the lines of, 'I'll do what I can to help,' there some pretty disturbing ones, like, 'I hope they suffer,' and, 'If I knew anything, I wouldn't say anything to help that thing.' Havoc even beat up a guy for his response!"

Roy walked over and sat next to Havoc, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Is this true?"

Roy was shocked at the blood-shot eyes that looked back at him. He took that as a 'yes.'

"You know you could get in serious trouble Ha-"

"HE SAID, 'LET THAT ABOMINATION BURN IN HELL!' HE SAID . . . He called Al . . . He called Little Chief an abomination!"

Havoc covered his eyes with his hand.

"He's just a child. An innocent, three-year-old boy. Why do bastards like him think they're better by wishing harm to a small child? He's the one who should burn!"

Roy let out a calm sigh.

"As much as I hate to say this, no he shouldn't. Now, I don't agree with him or those who believe the same thing, but we have to understand. Even though we don't want to think about it, Ed _did _perform a human transmutation. That's a forbidden act, Havoc, and nothing good has ever come out of it, until now. At the risk of sounding very cliché, people fear what they don't understand. They don't know Ed and Al like we do. All they understand is that Ed did something that was taboo, so in a sense, the product must be taboo, too. That's why they see Al as some kind of monster. It's not entirely their fault."

Havoc stared at him for a moment, before nodding his head and muttering a 'sorry, sir.' Roy knew it was unusual for Havoc to behave like this, but he understood the reason. Havoc had somewhat adopted Al as his own little brother. Everyone had.

"It's okay to be scared, Havoc. All of us are. We all made a promise the day after the transmutation to do whatever we could to help those two brothers. We'll find Al, and make the bastards who took him pay."

At that moment, Fuery and Falman entered the room with a look of hopelessness. Roy questioned them anyway.

"Did you find anything?"

Falman groaned.

"Not really. We've had multiple leads, all of them dead ends. It's like he just vanished into thin air. What about you?"

Roy shook his head. Fuery lowered his gaze.

"Poor Al. Three days with those people. I wish there was _someone_ who knew something."

"Wishing won't get us anywhere. We have to keep searching."

A loud, shrill ring interrupted their conversation. Roy walked over to the phone and answered it.

"Fuhrer Mustang speaking . . . Are you sure! . . . I'll be right there! Try to keep him calm!"

Roy slammed the phone on the receiver and rushed out of the room, just barely managing to yell,

"Edward's waking up!"

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Winry sat, tensed, next to Ed's bed, squeezing his left hand. His eyes were open, but they looked completely blank. His breathing was heavy, and sometimes ragged. He really looked and sounded like a person who was on their death bed. Winry squeezed his hand harder, tears flowing down her cheeks. She reached down and touched his own pale face.

"Please, Ed. Please don't die. Can you hear me? You need to get better. Please don't give up."

She felt a weak squeeze in return. Ed slowly turned his head so he could look at Winry, his eyes still looking blank. He spoke in a barely audible whisper.

"Win . . . ry . . ."

"It's alright Ed, I'm here."

"What . . . happened?"

"You were attacked, remember?"

"Right . . . I was attacked."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm so tired."

"Then rest, silly. You need it."

"Where's Al?"

Winry bit her lip and looked down with a guilty expression. She said nothing.

"Poor kid . . . must be . . . scared to death . . . I have to tell him . . . that I'm going to be alright . . . everything's going to be okay."

"Of course you're going to be alright, Ed."

"Winry . . . where's Al? Where's my Alphonse?"

Roy burst through the door, panting.

"How is he!"

"Mustang . . . is Alphonse with you? Where is he?"

This time, it was Mustang who hung his head. Even in his weakened state, Ed could tell that something was horribly wrong. However, he didn't have the energy to fight with them. All he could do was hope that they'd tell him the truth.

"Please . . . What's happened?"

Winry stood up, allowing Roy to occupy the chair she was sitting in. He looked down at his hands laying in his lap. Ed could tell Roy was shaking.

"E-Ed, Al was . . . he was kidnapped three days ago."

"How?"

Roy knew that Ed wanted to yell and scream, but in his current state, all he could do was lie there helplessly with tears running down his face.

"We brought him here so he could visit you. I tucked him in your arms, and watched him fall asleep. Then I left when your teacher arrived. When Riza came to check on the both of you . . ."

He paused, pulling out a stuffed cat wrapped in a red jacket out of his own jacket.

"We found this lying on the ground. Al was already gone."

He handed Kitty to Ed, who kept his gaze on Roy.

"Nigma . . . has Al?"

Roy nodded his head. Ed turned his gaze to the cat.

"I don't know what's worse . . . Al being taken right out from under everyone's noses . . . or Al being taken directly out of my arms."

Edward weakly hugged Kitty to his chest, breaking out into even weaker sobs. Roy and Winry could make out mumbled and whimpered apologies, which was expected. It didn't take long for Ed to exhaust himself and fall asleep. Roy stood up and walked out of the room.

_This is our last chance. I don't know why, but something tells me that we need to find Al. Tonight._

_Or we'll never find him alive._

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Tray had a painful, guilty feeling at the pit of her stomach as she watched Al writhe in pain on the floor, completely surrounded by red water. Something inside of her was eating at her alive, telling her that this wasn't right. Looking at Nigma, she was starting to believe that. However, it was obvious that Nigma harbored no such feelings.

"This is going better than planned. Usually, a person loses consciousness and becomes seriously ill after only a few minutes of red water exposer. He's lasted two hours! It _must_ be because he was composed alchemically! This is amazing! I really couldn't have done this without your help, Tray. You should feel privileged for witnessing such a phenomenon."

Tray felt like throwing up. She could clearly tell that Nigma had gone completely insane ever since obtaining the child. She was truly afraid of him now. Nigma, however, didn't seem to notice her change in behavior.

"It's late. We should leave him, and come back tomorrow. I'm interested to see if he'll survive the night."

Tray followed Nigma out of the room, sparing one last glance at the suffering three-year-old. She knew without a doubt that Al would be dead long before morning.

It wasn't until around ten-thirty that night that Tray snuck back into the room. She couldn't take having her insides ripped apart by guilt anymore, so she was going to do something about it. Putting on a filtering mask, she slowly and carefully made her way towards Al. She stared at him for a moment.

He was malnourished, and his sickly white skin made his bruises even more noticeable. His cheeks were flushed from a raging fever, which was causing him to shake violently. His breathing was labored and raspy, and he let out involuntary whimpers. His looks didn't come close to the pain he was in.

Tray pulled out a blanket from her coat, carefully wrapped it around Al, picked him up, and carried him out of the room.

_I'll just sneak into the hospital, leave him in the waiting room, and go before they see me. Then I'll leave Central before Nigma even knows what happened._

Just as Tray was about to exit Lab 5, a strong hand latched onto her neck.

"Put the child down slowly if you value your life."

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**AN: Wow! My first actual cliffhanger! I'm so happy! Anyway, I think the next chapter might be the last. Don't be sad, though. I have another plan for this. In case you were confused about the timeline, the parts with Havoc and Ed happened at noon, the red water expirement started at five, and Nigma and Tray left the room a seven. I hope it's less confusing now. **


	9. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or any of its characters.**

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**Epilogue**

"Put the child down slowly if you value your life."

The color completely drained away from Tray's face. Cautiously, she knelt down and gently set Al on the floor. When she stood back up, her arm was grabbed and she was thrown to the ground. After she managed to push herself back up and readjusted her now cracked glasses, she saw a slim women with black micro-braided hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing a white dress-like top with black pants. Her face was like hard granite when she looked at Tray, but immediately melted into a warm motherly expression when she looked at Al, who was now coughing and clinging to her shirt. She spoke to him in a soft, soothing voice.

"Yes, I know you're hurting, little one. I'm here now. You're going to be alright."

Izumi snapped her head back to look at Tray. Her tone was firm and demanding, and her speech was quick.

"What's this red substance on him?"

"It's . . . red water."

"What's that?"

"It's one of the ingredients used to make a Philosopher's Stone. It's . . . extremely toxic to humans."

"And you covered him with it?!"

"It was Nigma's idea! He believed that the child would survive longer in it since he was born through alchemy, and he did! But . . . I couldn't stand the knowledge of him being put through this torture anymore, so I came back here to take him back to the hospital."

"Unfortunately, neither of you are going anywhere with him."

Izumi and Tray both spun in the direction of the voice. Nigma emerged from the shadows, holding a gun.

"Honestly, Tray. Did you really think I was stupid enough to not notice your change of mind? What's even worse is the fact that you thought I would leave the boy completely unattended to."

He looked at Izumi.

"_You_. I don't know what your relationship with this child is, but if you don't do exactly as I say, you'll end up like the 'great' Fullmetal Alchemist."

Izumi narrowed her eyes, then, surprisingly, began to chuckle. Nigma looked at her in mild surprise.

"What's so funny?"

"First of all, never underestimate me. I'm more than you can handle. Second, you shouldn't put the intelligence of other people under your own. If I was smart enough to find this place, don't you think I'd be smart enough to inform the Fuhrer before I entered? As we speak, he and the military are on their way here. It's over for you."

Nigma gave a look of defeat, which quickly changed into a smirk.

"How troublesome. Well then, I guess I'll just have to kill all three of you. I'll never let that boy go back to the hands of the Fuhrer, or his brother."

Nigma suddenly turned the gun on Tray, firing. At the same time, Izumi dove to the ground, managing to make her hands come together and shoot a projectile from the ground. When Nigma dove to the floor to dodge it, she quickly got to her feet. She looked over at Tray, who was screaming at her to run while holding her shot shoulder. Izumi darted towards the door. In an instant, Nigma sprung to his feet, and fired the gun again. The bullet managed to lodge itself into Izumi's arm, causing her to trip. By the time she realized what happened, Nigma was standing over her. They both glared at each other. In an instant, Nigma raised his gun, Izumi clapped her hands, and a loud gunshot filled the building.

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'_Al . . . Alphonse, I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry . . . Please . . . Please come back . . .'_

'_Edward . . .'_

'_Alphonse . . .'_

'_Wake up, Ed.'_

'_I can't go yet . . . Al . . . I have to find him . . .'_

'_Now, Fullmetal.'_

'_Mustang?'_

Ed stirred, slowly waking from his uneasy sleep. Sluggishly, he began to sit forward. A strong hand pushed him back. When he managed to focus his vision, he saw Mustang sitting next to him.

"Easy, Ed. You don't want to wake up Al, do you? He needs his rest."

"Al?"

Ed followed Roy's gaze, finding Al tucked in his arm. An IV was hooked up to him. Ed immediately noticed the bad condition Al was in. He looked at Roy.

"When did you find him?"

"A few hours ago. Your teacher did a little of her own research and found that he was being held at Lab 5. She informed us when she arrived there. She was lucky, though. She managed to escape with only an injured arm, when she could've been shot in the head. If it weren't for Hawkeye getting in there first, both your teacher _and_ your brother could've been killed."

"And Nigma?"

"Like I said, Hawkeye got in there first. When she saw what he was about to do to, she managed to fire before he did. He won't be a problem anymore."

"What about his colleagues?"

"They're all in custody. We're still deciding their punishments. One of them died due to blood loss from a gunshot wound caused by Nigma. She was the one who told us where the others were hiding. As it turns out, she was working in the Investigations Department, acting as their inside informant. Her name was Second Lieutenant B. Tray."

"Her name fits her."

"I know. She was also the one who stabbed you and grabbed Al. However, according to your teacher, she tried to save Al. That's why Nigma shot her."

Ed was silent, then rolled over on his side. He didn't bother trying to hide the pain as he did so.

"Ed, don't-"

"Shut up, Mustang."

Ed gently pulled Al against his chest, then lovingly began stroking his hair.

" . . . How bad is it?"

Roy let out a deep sigh.

"He's not doing very well. I'm sure you can already tell he has a high fever, along with the numerous bruises on his body. His throat is damaged due to chemicals Nigma poured in it, and he's very ill from some other chemical concoction Nigma fed him. At least, that's what his colleagues told us. Alchemic doctors are going to try to get the tissue in his throat to repair and heal faster."

Ed remained silent, burying his face in Al's hair. It wasn't long before Roy heard the sobs he knew were coming.

"How is it . . . that no matter how hard I try . . . to protect him . . . he's always put through hell?"

Roy said nothing, and just continued to watch. It wasn't until Ed felt something small and soft wipe his tears away that he stopped. Lifting his head, he saw Al turn his own head upwards to look at him, tears running from his bronze eyes. He opened his mouth to talk, but only managed to squeak, causing more tears to run down his cheeks.

"No, Alphonse, don't-don't try to talk, okay? I'm here, it's alright. You're going to be alright."

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Ed and Al returned to Mustang's mansion after Al's operation to fix his throat. They spent the next month of healing there. Once the doctor told them that Ed's injury had healed completely and Ed would be able to act like his normal self, Roy decided it was time for a change.

"Tell me again, why are we standing out here, Mustang?"

"So you can see your new house, Fullmetal."

" . . . New house?"

Roy nodded his head.

"I've decided that it's time for you to have your own place to settle down in. It's across the road from my estate, so if you need anything, we'll be easy to get to."

Ed looked at the house. It had two stories, a brick pathway, and trees shading the front yard. It was beautiful.

Roy grinned.

"You should see the inside. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, nice sized kitchen and living room, _and _a fireplace. Everything you'll need to live comfortably. There's even a small garden in the back."

"Mustang . . . I . . ."

"It's alright, Ed. After everything that's happened, you deserve something like this."

Smiling, Ed looked down as Al began to stir in his arms. He had been sleeping. Al let out a big yawn and looked up at Ed, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey Al, look. This is our new house. We'll be living here from now on."

Al seemed confused for a moment, turned his head to look at the house, then looked Mustang with tears in his eyes.

"Al, what's wrong?"

"You don't want us anymore?"

Roy gently took Al in his arms.

"It's not that, Al. You know Aunt Riza and I care about you very much, but you two can't live with us forever. You need to live in your own house now. You're going to be living right across the street from us, see? You can visit us any time."

Al sniffled a couple of times, and nodded his head. Then he turned his body and stretched out his arms so his brother could take him. Ed hugged Al tightly.

"You want to see the inside now?"

Al nodded his head again. Smiling, the four of them made their way up to the new house, to the beginning of the Elrics' new life.

_Maybe now we can finally live a normal life, just like Al wanted. Alphonse, my brother, my child, I love you, always._

_**The End**_

* * *

**AN: THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER! Don't be sad though. I'll try to post a fanfic consisting of oneshots relating to this fic. Anyway, sorry about the long wait. A few notes about this chapter: I read somewhere that Izumi's hair style was NOT dreadlocks, but micro braids. I've seen pictures of real micro braids, and they look pretty similar. I also don't know if a bullet to the arm would be enough to bring down Izumi, but I wrote it in to go with the story. And sorry if the ending sounds cheezy. It was the only fitting ending I could think of. Until the next fic, bye! **


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